Students and Tutors
by Elemental Fantasy 13
Summary: Feliciana is flunking out of German, and Alice is floundering in math. What are two girls to do? Lame title, I know. One-shot. Rated T for Lovina's mouth to be safe.


**Sorry for the rough description, I'm still new to this. My first one shot, let's see how it goes!**

* * *

Feliciana propped her chin in her hand, trying to pay attention to the professor. She was trying, honest. Her flagging grade was hardly something she enjoyed, but how was she supposed to know German 102 would be so much harder than German 101? She'd done quite well in the first one, which was why she'd signed up for this class. Then it'd been grammar basics and Herr and Frl and Frau. Now they had to do full sentences and answer questions. The teacher barely spoke English anymore.

"...last test...hand back today."

She frowned, chewing her lip as she tried to work out the German parts of that last sentence. "Before the end of class," was one she knew, he used it after every class. Then there was something about disappointment.

Her heart was sinking even before he handed back her paper. Feliciana drooped as she took in the red littering her paper. If anything it was worse than the quiz they'd had before this. At the top by her name was written '45%'.

The normally cheerful Italian trudged out of class as the professor dismissed them. She was still trudging when she met up with her friends for lunch. If she expected pity she was sorely mistaken.

"Why don't you go to the tutoring center?" huffed Elizabeta, folding her arms. "Honestly, you're worse than Alice."

"I don't need tutoring," snapped the Brit from across the table.

Elizabeta gave her a look. "This is the first time I've ever seen you make anything except A's, Alice. Even in Science you at least have a B. What was it you got on your last test?"

Feliciana twirled her fork in the pasta she'd brought from home, pouting as the Brit glowered across the table. "I want to, but everyone who's gone to the German tutor never goes back. They say he's mean."

"At least he's open," grumbled Alice. "Every time I bother going all the math tutors are taken."

"Have you tried making an appointment?" asked Lovina, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, but everything's booked until after midterms. They said the only chance I have is to hope someone cancels at the last minute."

Lovina poked her sister's cheek, saying, "Stop being a scaredy cat and go see the damn tutor already. I don't want to have to explain to _Nonno_ that you have to retake a class because you were too scared of the tutor."

Feliciana pouted. "Fine, I'll look. But if he's busy I won't talk to him."

Lovina rolled her eyes. "Whatever, _idiota_. Just move your ass already."

* * *

The professor had included the tutor's availability times in his syllabus, so Feliciana trudged into the library at four o'clock sharp. She hung around the lobby for ten minutes, then decided she was thirsty. She spent the next thirty minutes sipping a coffee from the Starbucks positioned by the doors as slowly as she could.

At 4:45, deciding Lovina would let her have it if she didn't follow through on her word, she trudged passed the elevators and through the doors to the tutoring center. All Feliciana could see in either direction were tables full of tutors and students alike. There was a low, constant warble of voices as she carefully picked her way through the main area. According to Herr Schmitt, this Ludwig Belishmet had arranged to have a table in what was supposed to be the quieter part of the tutoring center from 4:00 to 6:00 every Tuesday and Thursday. About half of the class had been to him, though none stayed. Even so Feliciana hoped someone from a different German class would be with him by the time she picked her way to what she was sure to be the most far-fetched part of the tutoring center.

By the time she reached the far east wall, she did notice the noise had died down a little. Apparently this area was mostly taken up by English and Language tutors. A few tables had signs, sheets of paper with whatever subject they were helping with laid out on the round surface. There was only one that said 'GERMAN'.

Feliciana sidestepped behind one of the intermittent partitioning walls that helped to break up the large room. She peeked around it timidly, wanting to get a good look at this supposed monster of a tutor. From what she'd heard, this Belishmet person was everything one didn't want in a tutor. He was strict, harsh, and impatient if you took too long to get something. One person had even said he'd yelled, though Feliciana doubted that one. Surely people would have noticed if a tutor started yelling, right?

When she peered over at him, she had a feeling at least some of the stories were right. A stack of textbooks from every German class the school offered was stacked neatly to one side, a small stack of paper next to it. Pens, pencils, and whatever other writing utensils were in a neat line in front of the paper. It was neat, almost OCD neat.

Ludwig himself sat so straight Feliciana wondered if there was a pole taped to his back. He wore a white button down shirt, neat and pressed, his wheat blond hair smoothed back without a single strand out of place. His face was stern, and a pair of reading glasses sat perched on a sharp nose, shielding icy blue eyes.

Feliciana gulped. When he reached up, sliding the glasses from his nose, she turned, ready to bolt for the exit. Still, while she had a feeling what her classmates had said was true, she found herself turning to take one last look at Ludwig.

Without the reading glasses he seemed a little less stern, if only by the slightest margin. Feliciana frowned, realizing it wasn't just the glasses. As he set them on the table, she saw some of the stiffness leave his shoulders. He'd didn't look so strict, if anything he almost looked...sad? Or was it lonely?

Feliciana chewed her lip, debating. She really didn't like conflict, didn't like getting yelled at. She got enough of it from Lovina, so she tended to bolt at the first sign of either. But she also didn't like to see people unhappy. Mean or not, she could tell Ludwig was unhappy. Come to think of it, why wouldn't he be? There he was, materials all ready, and no one ever came to see him. He was donating his time for this, time he could be spending doing other things. His own schoolwork, or something he actually enjoyed. What if he actually worked for money? They didn't pay for tutoring, it was part of the tuition, and from what she heard the tutor's themselves didn't get much.

_ If he starts yelling or being mean, I'll leave,_ she decided. _Lovi can't be mad if I actually try._

Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, Feliciana walked out into the open, making for the table. What she'd meant to be a confident walk ended up being a sort of timid half-shuffle. Frankly she took it as a victory she was moving forward at a steady pace.

Feliciana was three feet from the table when Ludwig looked up, freezing her in her tracks. Clutching textbook and notebook to her chest, she asked timidly, "Um, are you Herr Belishmet?"

"_Ja,_" he said sharply.

Feliciana twitched slightly, despite herself.

Ludwig grimaced, and making a visible effort to soften his tone he said, "Please, sit. Which class are you in?"

_ He's not so bad when he's not barking out words like a drill sergeant,_ Feliciana thought, carefully perching in the chair he gestured to. "German 201."

As Ludwig selected the textbook that matched hers from the stack he asked, "What are you having trouble with?"

"Everything," she said weakly.

He regarded her as he set the book down. "Explain?"

"I did fine in German 101, but...

Rather than list everything, she flipped open her notebook, took out the small stack of homework, quiz and test, and handed it to him, red ink and all. Normally she'd be too embarrassed, but she was desperate. Besides, if anything was ammunition for yelling, this was, right?

As he replaced the glasses on his nose and looked them over, a frown creasing his brow, she babbled, "I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I know I bombed the test but all the answers still look right to me. It's the same thing with the quiz and the homework. I don't know what I'm doing wrong and I really need to pass-

"What is your name?"

The Italian snapped her mouth shut as iceberg eyes lifted to regard her again. "F-Feliciana."

"Feliciana, I think we have a lot of work to do."

* * *

"And he really wasn't all that scary once we started working. He never yelled, not even a little bit. He explained things and they finally made sense! I think I can actually get a passing grade on the next text! And he said he thinks he can help me make an A, but I have to keep going back."

Feliciana was chattering away a mile a minute at lunch the next day, absolutely delighted with the results of breaking down and going to the tutoring center. Ludwig was actually quite nice, and she enjoyed learning from him better than she ever had from any of her classes. The fact she was actually learning successfully made it that much better.

"You should try it, Alice. If you can't get in at the center, maybe try and find another way?" she asked, still bouncing in her seat.

The Brit pursed her lips, poking at her lunch. "Well...my roommate actually offered to get me in touch with her brother. I'd forgotten she had a twin."

"Madeline?" asked Elizabeta, raising her eyebrows.

Alice nodded. "Apparently he's something of a math wiz. She arranged for us to meet up in the library this afternoon. At this rate I'll take anything I can get."

"Let us know how it goes," said Elizabeta, grinning. "Maybe you'll get lucky too. Who knows, he might be cute."

"Oh sod off," said Alice, rolling her eyes. "I have better things to worry about, like not having to retake one of the most basic math classes."

* * *

Alice took the elevator up to the second floor, where Madeline had said this brother of hers would meet her. She was sure she'd met him at one point in passing. Hadn't he helped Madeline move in? Honestly she could hardly remember.

She had just sat down at the last table in sight of the elevators when a voice behind her said, "Oh."

Alice turned, a sarcastic reply ready to be fired off, but it died on her lips as her eyes slowly traveled upwards. It took a moment, but they reached the eyes of a boy that looked remarkably like her roommate.

"'Oh' what?" she asked sharply.

Alfred blinked a few times. "Sorry, um, Maddie just said she had a friend that needed help with math. She didn't say it was- who. Didn't say who."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked as he came around to sit.

"Nothing, just didn't think she meant you. So you're having a hard time with math?"

"Right, yes. It doesn't make any sense to me and I'd really rather not have to drop it."

"That bad, huh?" he asked, flopping down into the seat across from her. When she gave him a dirty look, he held up both hands. "Hey, we all have our weak points. Shakespeare never made any sense to me either. Which class are you in?"

"Math 300."

Alfred gave her a blank look. "Who do you have?"

"Mr. Brown."

The blank look stayed. "Um, he's like, the easiest teacher they've ever hired, and that class is the easiest one you can sign up for."

Alice glowered at him. "If you're not going to help me then you'd best be on your way."

Alfred sighed. "Just say'n, chill. What 'cha having problems with?"

She opened her textbook to the first of her long list of problems, pointing it out. Alfred leaned forward, studying the page. Almost to himself he muttered, "Okay, quadratic equations, I remember this."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Good for you, then. Does that mean you can help me?"

Alfred flashed a grin, actually winking at her. "Please, does E equal M C squared?"

When she gave him a blank look, his smile wavered slightly.

"Math joke?"

Nothing.

"Right, sorry. Quadratic equations."

* * *

Later that afternoon, when Alice returned to her shared dorm room, Madeline was pecking away at her computer. She turned to look at Alice, raising her eyebrows. "So?" she asked in a soft voice. "How did it go?"

"Not to be rude, but if the two of you didn't look so much alike I'd question whether or not you were related."

Madeline gave a sheepish smile. "I understand if he's a bit much. I'm afraid Alfred just has the two modes, sleeping or full steam ahead."

Alice dumped her backpack against her desk and flopped down into her chair. "Well handful or not, that's the first time all semester anything has made sense. I owe you one for this, Madeline."

Madeline giggled. "Oh, you don't know me anything. I did it for Alfred."

The Brit frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

"The goof has had a crush on you from day one. It's just luck things worked out like this. I'm glad math is looking up for you, really, but I mostly did it so he would stop bugging me about you."

Alice made a choking sound. "He-He what? Me?"

Then she remembered his corrected statement,_ "She didn't tell me it was- who. Didn't say who."_

Well, there were worst people to have crushes on her, not that she had experience to speak of. She'd be lying if she didn't think him handsome, and that goofy smile he wore most of the time was oddly endearing.

"You're welcome."

"What?" asked Alice, snapping out of her reverie.

Madeline smiled sweetly as she went back to her homework. "I know that look on your face. You're welcome."

"Sod off," spluttered Alice, blushing.

* * *

[[Finals]]

"Ludwig! Luddy!"

Ludwig turned in time to get knocked backward a few paces by a high speed Italian, grunting as his back hit the Engineering building he'd just walked out of. Feliciana ignored this, tightening her arms around his neck so she could wrap her legs around his waist in a full-body hug.

"Feli, please let go," he grunted, face turning red. His last final had been a tiring one, but he felt confident he'd done well. While this enthusiastic greeting from his girlfriend was unexpected, it wasn't entirely unappreciated.

Feliciana let go, moving back a foot to bounce in front of him, a wide smile plastered across her face. She held up a sheet of paper, which bounced along with her. "Look, Luddy, look! I did it! You told me I could and I did!"

Ludwig plucked the paper from her fingers so it would stop bouncing, frowning to read it over without his glasses. It took a moment of holding it at arm's length, but he realized it was a screen shot of her final grades.

General Biology: 90% - A

English 201: 89% - B

Math 300: 87% - B

German 201: 91% - A

Ludwig felt a smile turning up his lips. "Congratulations, Feli."

"I did it because of you!" she said, still bouncing. Then she grabbed his hand, dragging him away from the building. "Come on! I'm making special pasta to celebrate! Then when you get your grades back I'll make some more! It'll be the wurst kind, too! I know Lovi hates it but it's your favorite right?"

Feliciana continued to babble as she half dragged Ludwig along. The German couldn't bring himself to protest, a faint smile still resting on his face. He'd been offering his services as a tutor since he'd first started coming to this campus two years ago. In all that time, Feli was the only one not to disappear after the first time. A few had started coming again after the turn-around her grades had made, but she was still his favorite student.

* * *

Alfred cracked an eye open, wondering sleepily just what had disturbed him. A moment later, he got his answer as someone banged angrily at the door. Groaning, he rolled off his bed and stumbled towards it. They weren't actually waking him up, in fact a glance at the clock showed it was still just 12:30 in the afternoon. Alfred had come home and crashed onto his bed directly after his Intro to Engineering final, which had been held at the ungodly hour of 7:30.

Yawning, he turned the lock and opened the door. He blinked a few times, still waking up, but he soon realized it was Alice standing outside his door, arms folded. He'd wanted to kill Maddie after he found out what she'd told Alice, but the Brit never mentioned it. That is, unless you call being told, "If you're going to ask me out then just belt up and ask me," after their next tutoring session 'mentioning it'.

"I'm taking you to McDonalds. My treat."

Alfred blinked a few more times, wondering vaguely if he was still asleep. "Huh?"

Alice fished her phone from her back, opening it and handing it to him. Alfred adjusted his glasses from their tilted position on his nose and peered at it, yawning again. Why was she showing him her grades? Dang, she really was a straight-A student. Wait...Math 300...92%-A?

A grin spread over his face. "You aced it?"

Alice huffed. "Yes, no need to sound so shocked. The only reason I wasn't forced to drop the class was because of you and I'd just like to say thank you. Now are you coming or not?"

Alfred laughed, grabbing her and yanking her into a bear hug, making her squawk in protest as he spun her around the room. "Congrats, Iggy!"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" she spluttered, though she didn't seem quite as upset as she usually did. "Put me down you stupid git."

Alfred did as he was told, still grinning. The grin widened when he saw the blush on her cheeks as she stomped back to the door. Making a mental note to get Maddie a year's supply of maple syrup, he bounded cheerfully after Alice.

* * *

***Shuffles feet nervously* Well? What do 'yall think? I'll probably do random one-shots as practice runs for random ideas. How they are received will impact which stories I do.**

**Please Review!**


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